.260 Rem Barrel Life?

[nicholst55]

I'm strongly considering a .260 Rem for my next build, and I'm wondering what kind of barrel life I can expect. I will probably use a Krieger stainless barrel and shoot naked bullets. I'm more concerned with accuracy than I am with velocity.

I've shot out a few .308 barrels, and I'm ready for something else.

 

[HotIce]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

The oldest 260 Remington barrel I have, has 1880 rounds through it.
I did not notice any loss of accuracy so far.

 

[dar1246]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

I have a few 260s the one with the most rounds through it has 2400 rounds through it. Still shoots great.

 

[wnroscoe]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

Build it and dont look back. The barrel is going to burn out but hey, you already know that. Build it, shoot it and enjoy it.

My 6BR Barrel went away at 2,500 rounds by using 30.6 grains of RL-15 and N140. I wouldnt look for a .260 to last much longer that 2,000 rounds and give sharp match grade accuracy.

 

[260shtr]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

Mine has 2000-2100 still shoots great.

 

[Supersubes]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

I'm at 2700 ish and mine has NEVER shot better, not even a hint of degradation. I fully expect to go well past 3000. I'm a big fan of the 6.5's, if you make the switch you won't look back.

 

[nicholst55]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

I think 2,500-3,000 rounds is acceptable barrel life. Anything has got to be better than my .257 Weatherby! Anything beyond 1,000 rounds with that cartridge is pure gravy!

My comfort level with the .308 is pretty high, but I've come to the realization that there are far better cartridges for long range work. The 6XC, 6/22-250 and 6mm BR are all better out to 600 yards, and the 6.5s really begin to shine at that point.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

Mine are LW50 Stainless by Lothar-Walther. The busier one has around 1500rd, and borescoping, throat/OAL growth, and consultation with L-W suggests an overall projected life in the 2400 rounds range. Actually, that was before I suspended shooting with 142SMK's and a warmer load at 1000yd, and went with 95gr V-Max and a minimum charge for 200yd.

Greg

 

[hydro556]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

I dont really want to set up for a new caliber, but I am definitely going this route with my next rifle.

 

[long-shot]

Re: .260 Rem Barrel Life?

A buddy has a Lawton 260 with 2K down the tube, and it's starting to fall off a little. It's still more than capable of shooting sub MOA at range so I'd expect around 3K before loss of confidence sets in.